Battle of Mszczonow Forests

The Battle of Mszczonow Forests (early August 1805) was the decisive battle of the Bulkiewicz Revolt. In early August 1805, Prussian general Gebhard von Blucher and a professional army of 10,100 troops met a smaller Polish army of 8,120 troops under Ksawery Wlodyga in battle in the forests near Mszczonow, a logging camp. The result was a total Prussian victory, and in late August Wlodyga and his man were killed in a shootout that cost 38 Prussian lives.

Background
In late July 1805 the Polish revolutionary Mateusz Bulkiewicz won the Battle of Odrzywol and defeated the Prussian general Gerhard von Scharnhorst, destroying his army. The remainind 200 or so Prussian troops withdrew to Warsaw in tatters, but the Prussian army of East Prussia (10,100-strong) under Gebhard von Blucher invaded Poland and met the Polish army of 8,120 troops at Mszczonow. The Polish leader this time was Ksawery Wlodyga, who took over the army after the death of Bulkiewicz.

Battle
The Prussian army had the advantage of surprise, and they closed in on the Poles from both sides. The battle was already a Prussian victory, but it was a matter of at what cost. The Prussian cavalry chased down Wlodyga and his Hussars and eliminated them, with Wlodyga falling in battle. The rest of the Polish army engaged the larger Prussian force while the small Prussian cavalry force attacked their rear. Trapped between a cavalry charge and hails of bullets, the Poles were gunned down in their hundreds and fled. 7,080 Polish troops and 1,640 Prussian troops were killed, with only a few Polish troops escaping. They, too, were hunted down and killed.

Aftermath
With the revolt quelled, Poland did not need a garrison to occupy Warsaw, as the people wer repressed by the military crackdown. This freed up Prussian troops to fight against the weak German states and prepare for war with France, who were expanding in central Europe and certainly invited Polish aid in their struggle to reduce Prussian dominance.